


Ficlet: Allegiance: Acquisitions

by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)



Series: Allegiance [2]
Category: Actor RPF
Genre: AU, Immortals, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-24
Updated: 2004-11-24
Packaged: 2017-10-12 20:19:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/128655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels





	Ficlet: Allegiance: Acquisitions

Karl didn't hear anything when he opened the front door when he came home from work, so he assumed that Gerry wasn't back yet. Gerry'd been gone for a week and Karl almost hoped that this time he'd never return.

But Gerry hadn't taken his duffel yet, and so Karl stripped immediately after closing all the blinds and drapes. Those were the orders. Gerry hated publicity, and pictures of his pet walking around naked wouldn't stay hidden for long. Karl started dinner and then wandered to the back of the house to find a towel. It had been raining earlier and his hair was still slightly damp. Gerry hated it damp. But maybe Gerry wouldn't come back.

But then there Gerry was, sprawling on the sofa, another man almost on top of him. Karl's mouth went dry.

The other man gave Karl a piercing look and then turned back to Gerry. "I don't see why you haven't sent him to the stable. He's magnificent."

"This one does better when he roams free. They all do." Gerry pointed at the floor and Karl went to a graceful kneel at that spot. He knew better than to speak. He didn't know who the other man was, knew better than to ask. He wasn't even sure if he was human, though Karl had never seen anyone but one of _them_ manage to even sit pompously.

"The stubborn line," the man snorted. "I don't see why Peter hasn't--"

"Peter has his own reasons for doing things." Karl had never heard Gerry sound so cold, so cruel. It scared him more than the way Gerry looked when he slept. "And perhaps one day Peter will tell me why he hasn't, but until then, you _don't_. Understand?"

 _Gerry's a prince,_ Karl realized. He'd known, of course, everyone knew, but it hadn't sunk in until then. Gerry was the king's brother. And his enforcer.

The other man seemed to realize it at the same moment. He stuttered an apology and shifted on the couch. "I never meant--"

"I know what you meant," Gerry said brusquely. "Do you want him?"

 _Me. He's offering me..._ Karl swallowed and kept his eyes down. He didn't have a choice in this. _They_ had all the choice, and he needed to remember that. Arguing wouldn't get him anything more than a beating.

"What can he do?" The man sounded nervous, but Karl figured that he had to ask the question. It sounded formulaic.

"He makes swords." Simplification, but Karl wasn't going to press the point. He made prop swords that looked real, and occasionally, for enough money, real swords that looked fake. It was a job and he liked it. Now he wondered if he'd ever do it again. "Do you want him or not?"

"Yes, I want him," the man said. "You know I always take your rejects, Gerry."

Rejects. So, after all this time, Karl finally had his answer. When Gerry didn't want him anymore, he just passed him on to a different master. This would never end.

"Then take him." Gerry stood up. "Our business is done here," he said, and vanished into the void.

The man looked at Karl for a moment and then shook his head. "He always plays me for the sucker," he mutters. "It shouldn't be always true." He crooks a finger toward Karl. "Come here, lad."

Karl crawled over to the couch and knelt up. _Maybe if I make a good enough impression, he'll let me go._

"How long has Gerry had you?"

"Three years, sir."

The man whistled. "He must've been smitten. Well, you've taken a demotion. I'm not one the family." He grabbed Karl's chin and forced him to look him in the eye. "But if I ever catch you wondering again if I'm human, I'll cut your heart out."

 _I'm going to die. He's going to kill me._

The man stroked Karl's cheek. "I have just a few rules, pet, and if you obey them, you won't die. I'm not all that much different than his highness. But there is one thing.

"My name is Christian Bale and you will call me master. I own you. Never forget that."


End file.
